Australia's estimated resident population at June 2006 was 20.6 million, an increase of 265,700 people compared with June 2005. Natural increase (the excess of births over deaths) contributed 131,200 people to Australia's population in 2005-06, while net overseas migration contributed 134,600 people.

Queensland recorded the largest population growth of the states and territories in 2005-06, with an increase of 76,400 people. This resulted from net interstate migration of 25,800 people (the largest of the states and territories), net overseas migration of 21,400 people, and natural increase of 29,200 people.

Queensland's annual growth rate of 1.9% was the second fastest increase of the states and territories. Its average annual growth rate over the five years to June 2006 was the fastest in Australia, at 2.2% .

South-east Queensland (comprising the Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and West Moreton SDs) increased by 50,900 people in 2005-06, accounting for 67% of Queensland's total population growth. This equates to an average increase of about 980 people per week.

GROWTH IN NEW SOUTH WALES AND VICTORIA

New South Wales (NSW) experienced the third largest population increase of the states and territories during 2005-06, up 58,800 people (0.9%). Natural increase added 40,500 people to NSW’s population and net overseas migration added 42,200 people (the largest of the states and territories), while a net 24,000 people were lost to the remaining states and territories due to interstate migration.

The population of Victoria increased by 68,500 people in 2005-06, which was the second largest increase of the states and territories. This corresponds to a growth rate of 1.4% for the year.

Victoria’s natural increase was 31,900 people in 2005-06, while net interstate migration was negative for the third consecutive year (losing a net 1,900 people to the rest of Australia). Net overseas migration in 2005-06 contributed 38,600 people to Victoria's population.

Western Australia (WA) recorded the fastest population growth of the states and territories in 2005-06, increasing by 2.0% (39,900 people). Its average annual growth rate over the five years to June 2006 was the second fastest in Australia, at 1.5%. In the year to June 2006, net overseas migration contributed 21,500 people to WA’s population, natural increase added 15,400 people and net interstate migration continued to be positive, adding 3,100 people.

South Australia’s population increased by 12,600 people (0.8%) in 2005-06, with natural increase adding 5,900 people and net overseas migration adding 9,500 people. South Australia recorded the second largest interstate migration loss behind New South Wales, with a net loss of 2,900 people.

Tasmania’s population increased by 0.7% (3,300 people) during 2005-06, which was the slowest growth rate of the states and territories. Natural increase contributed 2,500 people to Tasmania's population, while net overseas migration added 690 people and net interstate migration contributed 60 people.

The Northern Territory’s population increased by 3,300 people (1.6%) in 2005-06. Natural increase remains the main component of growth, adding 2,800 people, while net overseas migration added 840 people and a net 390 people were lost to other states or territories.

The population of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) increased by 0.9% (3,000 people) in 2005-06, about twice the growth recorded in 2004-05. Natural increase added 2,900 people to the ACT. Net migration trends have reversed, with interstate migration being positive for the first time since 2000-01 (adding 270 people), and net overseas migration being negative for the first time since 1999-2000, with a net 110 people lost from the ACT to overseas countries in 2005-06.

Capital city SDs were home to 13.1 million people at June 2006, making up approximately two-thirds (64%) of Australia’s population, as they did in June 2001. The combined population of all capital city SDs increased by 163,000 people in 2005-06, accounting for 61% of Australia’s growth for the year.

The combined populations of the state balances (those areas outside capital city SDs) increased by 102,800 people in 2005-06 to reach 7.5 million people, making up 36% of Australia’s population at June 2006.

The combined population of the state balances increased by 1.4%, which was faster than the 1.3% recorded by the combined capital city SDs in 2005-06. However, in all but the three most populous states, the rate of growth in the capital cities was higher than the state balance growth rate.

The largest growth among capital cities in 2005-06 occurred in the Melbourne SD (up 49,000 people), followed by Sydney SD (up 37,200 people) and Perth SD (up 29,500 people). The largest state balance growth occurred in the balance of Queensland, which increased by 46,900 people, with almost half of the growth occurring within the south-eastern corner of Queensland. Darwin SD was the fastest growing capital city in Australia in 2005-06, increasing by 2.5%, followed by the Perth SD (2.0%).

The major cities of Australia, as defined by the 2001 Remoteness Area (RA) structure, were home to 13.6 million people or 66% of Australia's population at June 2006. In contrast, at this time just 506,600 people or 2.5% of the total population resided in the remote or very remote areas of Australia.

During the year ending June 2006, the major cities of Australia experienced the largest population growth of the RAs, with an increase of 157,800 people (or 1.2%), while the fastest growth was recorded in inner regional Australia with an increase of 1.8% (or 79,500 people). Inner regional Australia also recorded the fastest average annual population growth rate (1.7%) over the period from June 2001 to June 2006. The population of remote Australia increased the slowest of all RAs over the five years to June 2006, at an average annual rate of 0.1%.

New South Wales had the largest numbers of people residing in both major cities (4.9 million people) and inner regional areas (1.4 million people) of all the states and territories in June 2006, while Queensland had the largest numbers of people living in outer regional, remote and very remote areas of Australia. However, the Northern Territory had, by far, the largest percentages of its population living in outer regional (55.1%), remote (20.6%) and very remote (24.3%) areas of Australia.

In all states with major cities the largest population growth occurred in the major cities and the fastest population growth occurred in inner regional areas for the year ending June 2006. As neither Hobart nor Darwin is classified as a major city according to the RA criteria of accessibility and remoteness, the RA with the largest growth in Tasmania was inner regional Australia (which includes Hobart), and the largest and fastest growing RA in the Northern Territory was outer regional Australia (which includes Darwin).

Western Australia had the fastest growing population in the major cities, inner regional and very remote RAs in 2005-06, while Queensland experienced the largest growth in inner regional, outer regional and remote RAs.

Australia’s population density at June 2006 was 2.7 people per square kilometre, compared with 2.5 people per square kilometre in 2001. The ACT had the highest population density of the states and territories at June 2006 with 140 people per square kilometre, followed by Victoria with 22 people per square kilometre. The Northern Territory had a population density of only 0.2 people per square kilometre, the lowest of the states and territories.

Population density at June 2006 was highest in the city centres, particularly in the Sydney SD, where the four most densely populated SLAs in Australia were located. These were: Sydney (C) - East (with 7,600 people per square kilometre); Waverley (A) (6,700), which is just east of the city centre and includes the beach suburbs of Coogee, Bronte and Bondi Beach; Sydney (C) - West (6,600); and North Sydney (A) (5,900). The most densely populated SLA in Victoria was Port Phillip (C) - St. Kilda, which is on the shores of the bay just south of the city centre, with 5,700 people per square kilometre. The SLAs of New Farm (5,500) and Kangaroo Point (5,200), both in inner Brisbane, complete the list of Australian SLAs that had more than 5,000 people per square kilometre at June 2006. At the other extreme, there were over 250 SLAs in Australia with less than 1 person per square kilometre. For information about the areas of SLAs see paragraph 37 of the Explanatory Notes.

The centre of population is one measure to describe the spatial distribution of the population. This point marks the average latitude and longitude around which the population is distributed. The inherent imprecision in small area population estimates, and the use of SLA 'centroids', means the centre of population provides only an indication of the distribution of the population, and cannot with any certainty be ascribed to an exact location. See paragraphs 39 and 40 of the Explanatory Notes for more detail.

At June 2006 the centre of Australia's population was located around 55 kilometres east of the town of Ivanhoe in the LGA of Central Darling (A), reflecting the concentration of the population in the south-east of Australia, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne. Between June 2001 and 2006 the centre of population moved around 8 kilometres north, as a result of population growth in northern Australia, especially in south-east Queensland.

CENTRE OF POPULATION, Australia - June 2001 and June 2006

ESTIMATED RESIDENT POPULATION, States and territories - Capital city and balance of state/territory

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